Law minister Ashwani Kumar on Wednesday briefed a battery of Congress spokespersons on the entire controversy about his alleged interference in the CBI draft report on the coal scam probe.

In a meeting convened by party general secretary and media department in-charge Janardan
Dwivedi, it was proposed that Kumar should make a statement in Parliament on the entire issue, but a final decision is yet to be taken, sources said.

aThe law minister is learnt to have told party spokespersons and senior leaders, including those who represent the party in television debates that he had done “no wrong” and there was no need to be defensive in countering the pposition charges.

Kumar stressed that he had neither called the meeting nor summoned the CBI director.

He is also learnt to have told leaders that the meeting was called by Attorney General GE Vahanavati in his chamber and that he only tried to solve the dispute between Vahanvati and former additional solicitor general Harin Raval.

The meeting was attended by several union ministers, leaders and spokespersons.

Kumar is understood to have stressed that there was nothing wrong in his meeting the CBI director and it was all done within his jurisdiction, since the law minister is the legal advisor for the investigating agency under the existing laws.

But some of the leaders pointed out that since perceptions matter in politics, the issue is creating trouble and it is getting difficult to put up a defence.